How do you choose the right IT Support & Cyber Security Provider (MSP)?

Choosing the right Managed Service Provider (MSP) is no longer just about fixing IT issues when they arise. Nowadays, it is more important that businesses partner with a provider who will enable sustainable growth through the use of technology within your business, protect critical data, and working with your business to build a technology strategy that aligns with your short to long term business goals. With cyber threats continuing to evolve and operational reliance on IT and technology throughout your wider business higher than ever, selecting the right partner who can support you to achieve your goals can directly influence productivity, profitability, and resilience. 

But what are the key questions that businesses should be asking when searching for an IT Support and Cyber Security provider? And, how does what we are doing at TwentyFour IT Services ensure that all of those boxes are ticked and ensure we are delivering a complete, strategic approach designed to help businesses grow with confidence. 

What does a Managed Services Provider (MSP) actually do? 

At our core, a Managed Service Provider should deliver ongoing IT Support, Cyber Security, Infrastructure Management, Connectivity and more to ensure that your business operates efficiently and securely day to day. This typically includes proactive monitoring, helpdesk support, infrastructure maintenance, and the implementation of security controls to reduce risk. 

However, many MSPs only approach this from a reactive level, stepping in only when issues arise. The problem with this is that it can lead to prolonged downtime for users (and your business), inefficiencies, and increased exposure to cyber threats. 

At TwentyFour IT Services, our approach is fundamentally different from the vast majority of others in our industry. Our proactive monitoring and management ensures potential issues are identified and resolved before they impact your business, providing proactive guidance when hardware may no longer be fit for purpose, identifying from day one where the vulnerabilities are in your individual business operations, and working with you to understand where your pain points and bottlenecks are so that we can ensure processes are in place to keep your business running smoothly at all times. Alongside this, our vCIO service ensures that your business technology is always strategically aligned with your long-term business goals. This means you are not just maintaining IT, you are actively using it (and evolving your use of it) to drive performance and growth. 

Ask yourself, is this the type of support that you are getting from your current provider? Or, are they only reacting to problems? If so, it may be time to consider a partner (such as ourselves) that is focused on prevention, optimisation, and strategic progress. 

What should you look for in an IT Support provider? 

Proven Customer Satisfaction and Service Delivery 

One of the strongest indicators of a reliable IT & Cyber Security provider is consistently high customer satisfaction scores. High satisfaction scores demonstrate that a provider delivers responsive support, clear communication, and effective resolutions that their clients are happy with, without unnecessary disruption. 

Throughout 2025, TwentyFour IT Services achieved a 99.6% Average Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) rating, reflecting a consistently exceptional level of service across tens of thousands of interactions over the year. This demonstrates a commitment to delivering a positive experience for every user across every business and industry. From quick fixes to complex technical challenges, we also averaged a 10 minute first response, lower than our 15 minute target and far lower than the up to 60 minute average in our industry.  

The UK IT service industry typically averages between 75% and 90% CSAT annually, meaning many businesses experience inconsistent or reactive support for even the most common issues. Choosing a provider that consistently significantly exceeds this benchmark gives you confidence that your IT is in safe hands. 

When evaluating providers, it is worth asking not just how they perform on paper, but how they consistently deliver for their customers. At TwentyFour IT Services, we hold ourselves publicly accountable for our CSAT ratings, showcasing a live 30-day percentage on our website along with how many support tickets we have resolved over that same period. Beyond this, we regularly share messages from our clints across all of our social channels from both tickets and emails we receive alike. 

24/7 Support that matches how (and when) your business operates! 

Many MSPs promote IT Support and Cyber Security services, but not all provide genuine round the clock coverage, and for those that do it is often outsourced to a provider who do not understand your unique business requirements. For businesses that operate beyond traditional 9-5 office hours, this can leave critical gaps in both your support and security. 

Industries such as logistics, manufacturing, and many other professional services rely on systems that must always remain operational. Even an hour of downtime at 1am on a weekend could have a significant impact on productivity, providing a knock-on impact on revenue, and customer experience. 

TwentyFour IT Services delivers true 24/7/365 IT Support from our own team of trained and certified engineers, supporting businesses in 19 countries, ensuring your systems are continuously monitored, maintained, and supported. This round the clock proactive approach ensures that issues are resolved quickly, before they escalate, reducing downtime and maintaining operational continuity. 

Do you know if your support provider is there for you when you need critical support? As our name suggests, we provide true TwentyFour hours of support, every day of the year. 

Strategic Guidance through vCIO services 

As businesses grow, aligning technology with business objectives becomes increasingly complex. Without clear strategic direction, business IT can become fragmented, reactive, and inefficient across both hardware and software. 

This is where a vCIO (Virtual Chief Information Officer) service becomes essential. Rather than focusing solely on day to day support, a vCIO works alongside your senior leadership team to provide board level guidance and develop a clear, actionable technology roadmap in line with your business growth objectives. 

In the MSP industry, a vCIO services is not common. However, at TwentyFour IT Services our vCIO service ensures that every technology decision supports your wider goals. Whether you are looking to scale, improve productivity and efficiency, enhance security, evaluate your software and suppliers to make sure you are getting the most from your services, or adopt new technologies such as AI and automation, we provide the guidance needed to make informed, future focused decisions. 

Our vCIO service ensures that your technology is actively supporting your business growth goals. 

Why is Cyber Security important when choosing an MSP? 

Cyber Security should be at the core of any MSP offering, with cyber threats increasing, keeping secure is no longer a choice... it’s a necessity. As threats such as phishing, ransomware, and account compromise continuing to rise and evolve, businesses must adopt a layered zero trust approach to their cyber protection that is backed by a strong Business Continuity & Backup Strategy. 

A reactive or fragmented security approach can leave critical vulnerabilities, exposing your business to financial loss, operational disruption, and reputational damage that can cripple many businesses. 

At TwentyFour IT Services we deliver comprehensive Cyber Security solutions as part of our standard support offering, ensuring that we are protecting your business at every level. This includes; endpoint protection, network monitoring, identity security, and rapid threat response that that is backed by our own team of Cyber Security Professionals that operates on the Zero Trust approach. By integrating security into your entire IT environment, we ensure that risks are identified and mitigated immediately before they could cause any harm. 

When is the last time that your business undertook a Cyber Security Audit to understand where your vulnerabilities may be? 

Supporting Compliance and Certification 

Beyond Cyber Security as a service, businesses across the UK are now being asked to prove their compliance with regulatory standards, such as Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus and ISO27001, demonstrating that they take their Cyber Security seriously, building trust with their customers and partners alike. Achieving recognised certifications such as these can be a key differentiator in competitive markets and is increasingly becoming a requirement when bidding for contracts in many leading industries. 

TwentyFour IT Services provides a dedicated Cyber & Data Security Compliance Service that supports businesses in achieving Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus, and ISO27001 certifications and ensuring they remain compliant with these standards as they evolve with increasing threats. 

This involves more than simply passing a single audit. We work with you to assess your current environment, ensure that you implement the necessary controls, and embed best practices for cyber and data security into your day-to-day operations through continuous check-ups. This ensures long term compliance, improved security, and greater confidence for your stakeholders. 

In 2024 studies found 75% of businesses had greater confidence working with certified suppliers and that 69% of those who became certified in the UK believed that the certifications had increased their market competitiveness. As a result, these businesses were more aware and reactive with Cyber threats and therefore are 92% less likely to make a Cyber Insurance claim.  

If your business is looking to achieve or maintain compliance with Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus and/or ISO27001, ensuring that you partner with a provider such as ourselves who understand the importance of being certified and maintaining certification can make the process far more efficient and effective. 

Do you know if your Managed Services Provider is supporting your business growth? 

Choosing the right provider should have an active impact on your business success, ensuring that you have the systems, tools and processes in place to achieve your goals, not just maintain your systems. This means understanding where you see your business in the next 3-5 years, identifying opportunities for improvement, and delivering solutions that drive measurable outcomes. 

The right provider will take a proactive approach to business support (not just IT support), offering recommendations that enhance efficiency, reduce risk, and support scalability through regular meetings. They will ensure that your IT environment evolves alongside your business, enabling you to scale quickly and effectively over time without introducing bottlenecks in your IT infrastructure. 

At TwentyFour IT Services, this is achieved through a combination of proactive support, dedicated customer success agents, strategic vCIO guidance, and continuous investment in modern technologies. This ensures that your business technology becomes a key enabler of growth, rather than a limitation. 

Why do businesses choose TwentyFour IT Services? 

Businesses throughout the UK (and in 19 countries around the world) choose TwentyFour IT Services because of our commitment to service excellence, strategic support, and long-term partnerships. Not just day-to-day support. 

With a 99.6% average CSAT score in 2025, businesses benefit from consistently high levels of service that exceeds industry standards. Combined with genuine 24/7 support and security, businesses can operate with confidence, knowing their systems are always monitored and protected, with support on hand whenever they need it. 

Our strategic vCIO approach ensures that technology decisions are aligned with business goals, while our Cyber Security and Compliance services provide the protection and assurance needed in an evolving and ever-increasing cyber threat landscape. We see ourselves as much more than just an “IT provider”, we position ourselves as a trusted partner focused on helping you and your business to succeed. 

Ready to choose the right provider for your business? 

Choosing an IT Support and Cyber Security provider is one of the most important decisions your business will make. The right partner will not only keep your systems running but will actively support your growth, strengthen your security, and help you achieve your long-term goals. 

If you are reviewing your current provider, planning for growth, or looking to improve your Cyber Security and compliance, now is the time to take the next step. 

Speak to our team at TwentyFour IT Services today to discover how a proactive, strategic partnership can transform your business.